Social Question

I keep hearing the president didn't do as much for PR as TX and FL. Is that true?

I know I saw a FEMA interview when the hurricane just happened and FEMA was gearing up to help PR. The FEMA representative talked about TX and FL as still ongoing, but it’s a different group that first goes in to assess and search and rescue, so the other hurricanes wouldn’t hamper what needs to be done in PR.

My biggest complaint has been the TV media not keeping attention on PR, not the government. As far as I knew, the government was going in.

What’s the truth?

Plus, I disagree that more “attention” was given to FL and TX, because even there, how many days did we see of reporting on what’s going on in those states? Not many. There is still clean up going on, is it being reported? The news loves to show big red spiraling blobs on the radar screen approaching, and the initial scenes from the disaster areas, and then their gone.

19 Answers

The BBC is covering the disaster that has struck Puerto Rico and American media
are also. The fact you are asking the question shows the media have been effective in communicating the scale of the problem to you as to other Americans.

Trump’s attention on the other hand has been on NFL players rather than the relief efforts. He did however say that rescue efforts were complicated because Puerto Rico was offshore. “It’s a big ocean, it’s a very big ocean. And we’re doing a really good job,” he said.

“This is a thing called the Atlantic Ocean, this is tough stuff,” he added.

On the radio this morning they were saying what @johnpowell said, that the Puerto Ricans don’t vote and so he will not gain anything by helping them. However, there are a lot of Puerto Ricans’ relatives in the US, so you’d think he’d realize that.

Earlier on CNN they were showing a plane unloading supplies there. So they do have a functioning airport. And the plane was not from the government. It was jet Mark Cuban provisioned and filled up with water and food.

If they come and live on the mainland they vote. As mentioned above they could change the electoral vote in FL.

I’ll switch to CNN, I do usually watch MSNBC. I don’t trust MSNBC anymore.

@flutherother I ask the question, because I have been through many hurricanes, and I know what it’s like to have the eye wall whip an area to shreds when it’s a cat 4–5. I remember how PR has had mudslides in the past. I have seen some reporting of flooding, but a lot of it is the same photos over and over again for days now. Everyone (Americans) were freaked out about Irma covering the entire state of Florida. The news as it approached kept saying “it’s so big,” etc. floridians knew that the whole state wasn’t going to get whacked with cat 5 winds, even if it had made landfall as a cat 5 (which it didn’t) but the news made it sound that way, and bunches of us had relatives in other states freaking out and some in tears begging us to leave the state. The reporting was very frustrating. Hurricane Maria is much much worse. Stronger wind speed over the entire island.

The reporting said the power outage is 100% of the island. I don’t question that, but finally this morning I saw an overhead photo of PR at night, compared to before the storm, and yes there are much fewer lights, but it was lit up way more than you would guess. A combination of generators and off the grid energy I’m guessing, and I want to know the good and the bad over there. It would be nice for some reporting to show areas that are doing ok, because many relatives and friends here on the mainland would like to not only know the tragic, but also that people are ok.

Plus, my girlfriend here is Puerto Rican and luckily has been able to talk to her DIL twice. Her kids and the grandkids are taking a flight Sunday to Atlanta. Hopefully, they get out.

Trump being an ass about football players and many other things doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t send federal help to PR. I don’t doubt that maybe initially enough help wasn’t done, but he didn’t do nothing. I’m trying to get a grasp on what was done and the conditions in PR. Plus, the media could shut the fuck up about the athletes. Are we going to be mad at Trump that the media falls for his bullshit every time? I’m so sick of it. Yes, I hate what Trump is saying about the athletes, he shouldn’t say anything, but the TV media keeps it going. They spend a ridiculous amount of time on it.

I’m glad Hillary convinced him to increase the help. I guess we can give him a little credit for listening to her.

I don’t understand why we aren’t helping people leave the island more? Why don’t we bring in C-130’s and ships and get people out who want to leave?

@johnpowell The airport has been open in San Juan since a day or two after the hurricane. I heard two more airports opened today for military flights to free up the main airport for commercial flights. I don’t know what other airports around the island are open.

Are you saying the government hasn’t been sending water and food? I find that very hard to believe.

It is like the entire state of Iowa was destroyed. But nobody seems to care. These are citizens of The United States of America. If they can join the ARMY they should get some government cheese when faced with a catastrophe.

I’ve been screaming from the rooftops since before the storm that PR and USVI are our citizens and this Hurricane is going to be really bad. If you were fb friends with me you would see almost daily on my status my concern. You don’t need to convince me. I want our federal government and military there. I’m very worried we haven’t been doing enough.

One problem is before the storm I don’t think PR received enough supplies. If I knew a cat 4–5 was coming at me I would have bottled water and food for at least 3 days in my house. The advice is much more. Houses that flooded might have lost all their supplies, but the whole island isn’t flooded. A percentage of people had supplies for a few to several days I’m sure.

I think it’s fine that other charities and private citizens help with the effort. They should coordinate with FEMA, but if a millionaire wants to bring in a plane load of water, I think that’s great.

^^That’s how it feels to me, based on being in Florida, but not based on any data of how much help was sent where.

Trump has people out there assessing, the same people who assessed TX and FL. They didn’t seem any more or less committed to our territories than our states. PR is definitely more complicated than the contiguous 48 to bring in supplies at first.

I’m not defending Trump, because I think PR was needing more help from the fed, because in FL and TX we had more ability for neighbor to neighbor help and local help. People drive down from GA, AL, SC, and other parts of FL, and other states as soon as they can into FL to help. You can’t just come into PR from surrounding areas after the storm. The seas are still rough, and the people with the labor and supplies aren’t a few hours drive away.

@zenvelo I heard about that law yesterday. What I don’t understand is why it’s never been changed. I had read it’s congress that made that law. Why doesn’t congress change it?

Plus, I have a hard time understanding why he would favor the USVI to PR? Did I read it wrong, or is it so that he waived it for the USVI. If people want to think it’s bigotry, have they been to the USVI? Ok, the Rock resort is on St Johns, but when I was in the islands many many years ago the majority was black. It might have changed in the last 30 years.

It does sound to me like it should be waived, but I feel like some information is missing.

@zenvelo Oh, I didn’t realize the exemption went back that far. That’s ridiculous that USVI has a different law than PR. Forget the hurricane, it’s ridiculous in general. I wonder why it takes a Hurricane to get attention on this? How often has PR tried to get it changed?

My husband just say 40,000 people were sent to help in TX and only 7,000 to PR. I wonder if those numbers are right? That’s horrible if it’s the case. It sounds like such a huge discrepancy.

I was watching the Governor of PR today and he said the same thing Trump did about it being more complicated initially since they are an island. He basically said the same line Trump did. I just find it annoying to harp and criticize things Trump says that are true, I’d rather stick to being annoyed and disgusted by his lies and horrible affronts.